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Siam Restaurant and Bar

Another meet up with Zomato brought me to this little Thai restaurant situated in a basement on Howe Street. This site has been taken over from a previous Thai with perhaps a below par reputation, which may cause a few problems for the new owners initially. We went to see what this place had to offer, particularly as they were offering seafood as their speciality.

We had a cordial welcome from the friendly staff. They seemed knowledgeable and were obtaining seafood locally, confirming that the seafood that would be in our starters was from the 5pm catch at Leith Docks. We were to have a selection of their starters each and then we got to try something from the chef’s choice – and I opted for the roast duck curry.

Siam

The selection starter plates showed a good variety. Everyone around the table seemed to have different favourites. Mine was the scallop with mango and chilli type salsa. Not everyone seemed to have a well-cooked scallop but I thoroughly enjoyed mine. The calamari was excellent and not chewy. The prawn salsa was incredibly fresh tasting. I was pleasantly surprised by the sun dried pork as it was softer than I expected and had an incredible depth of flavour. The chicken wing was appetising and not too salty. Overall this seemed to be the biggest hit in the group. The accompanying dips were nicely balanced and worked well with all of the starters.

Siam

When the duck arrived, it came in a Thai red curry type sauce. Mine seemed a little oily on top but others who had the same dish didn’t experience the same. Regardless, this wasn’t obvious in the taste. There was plenty of duck in the dish. I also really enjoyed the addition of pineapple and grapes (the latter I would never have thought to have added). The rice was incredibly well cooked. Looking at the menu, this would have been at a reasonable price but some of the signature dishes seemed a little on the pricey side. I believe the owners have come up from London so may find they adjust the more expensive dishes in time. We did also order a crispy garden salad which was a battered deep fried salad whch came with a tasty minced chicken and prawn sauce combination. The sauce was a suprising hit across the entire table.

We were offered a sticky toffee pudding as dessert. This was homemade by chef and was made with Thai flour so it was really light in comparison with the usual sticky toffee pudding you may come across. The sauce was gooey deliciousness. Even those who said they weren’t going to have any couldn’t resist (yes, I am talking about you Andrea!)

I enjoyed my visit to Siam and the setting was nice. I hope this place manages to shake off its predecessor’s image.

Food – 7.5
Atmosphere – 8.5
Service – 8.5
Value – 7.5

Overall – 32

Cost – whilst complimentary, I estimate it cost around £30 per person for a 3 course meal and a glass of wine

Please note that whilst this meal was complimentary, views expressed are my own. Thanks to Zomato for arranging